It’s not news that people are getting bigger. We’ve read the statistics on American who are fat or obese- more than 30 pounds overweight.

Bigger portions on everything from hamburgers to Cokes to popcorn are blamed plug bigger portions of time spent in front of the TV instead of at the gym.

Eleanor Nelson

But this isn’t a column about America’s weight problem.

While portions in the fast food lane have been getting bigger, portions in the grocery store lanes have been shrinking.

Take for example a 1-pound can of coffee. There is no such thing anymore – at least I couldn’t find one. The can that looks just like the one that used to contain 16 ounces now contains 11, 11.5 12 or 13 ounces. If you haven’t read a coffee label lately, you’ll be shocked.

But the price on the can is the same as it was before or even higher. Why get all bent out of shape over an ounce or two of coffee? Because you may not realize how badly you’re being gauged.

If you used to pay $5 for 16 ounces, and you’re now paying $5 for 11 ounces. The cost per pound has increased 44 percent. So the price of coffee has actually gone up from $5 a pound to $7.20 a pound.

If you’re a coffeeholic like me or have a large coffee-drinking family, that can really impact the grocery bill.

To carry out this deception, manufacturers count on mathematically challenged customers. They figure if they make the container look like the original, you won’t bother to notice that the amount inside is less.

The alternative is to raise the price, and they know that would put you in a tizzy. So they keep the price the same, but give you less of the product. Any way you slice it, that’s a price increase. So let the buyer beware.

So, while waistlines and products to accommodate them may be expanding, some items are actually shrinking. Next time you’re at the supermarket, check for shrinkage. You never know where you may find it.

Eleanor Nelson, a retired journalist, is a resident of Laguna Woods Village. Contact her at windwings@outlook.com.